Lake of the Pines sewage backup problem resolved, now cleanup

Five homeowners at Lake of the Pines hope they can finally breathe a little easier today after battling sewage backups since Friday.

DAVID PIERCE

Five homeowners at Lake of the Pines hope they can finally breathe a little easier today after battling sewage backups since Friday.

An inspector from the state Department of Environmental Protection arrived at the Middle Smithfield Township community at mid-day Tuesday, as contractors brought in by community manager K.A. Diehl tried to make progress. Sewage backed up into the homes, ruining personal belongings.

The problem, confined to a few Deer Drive residences, may have been caused by trying to unclog a blockage in a sewage main through pressurized cleaning. The sewage appears to have choked off air supply in lines connecting the five residences to the main line along the road.

"So they are working diligently to try to fix the system," said Middle Smithfield Township Supervisor Mike Dwyer, a Lake of the Pines resident. "It's a localized situation. It's unfortunate. It just takes time."

Dwyer went to the scene Friday after being contacted by residents with the sewage backups.

The development's sewage is fed into township lines for treatment at the township plant near Fernwood Hotel and Conference Center. The internal Lake of the Pines lines are owned by the community association, township officials said.

"We don't own their system but they connect to us," Supervisor Annette Atkinson said.

Lake of the Pines will likely be issued a formal notice of violation, DEP spokeswoman Colleen Connolly said, which will trigger a formal investigation of the cause and steps to prevent a reoccurrence.

Rob McLaughlin, a community management employee was said to have been at the scene almost non-stop, but didn't immediately return a call seeking an update.